Art Bravo Graphics

Art Bravo Artists

Betty Sabo	Cottonwood Sunset, with the orange and golden glow of sunset silhouetting a weathered cottonwood, Betty Sabo has artfully combined two of the Southwest's most enduring - and endearing - features into a single image. Ms. Sabo is one of the area's best known artists, with a national reputation in both painting and sculpting. Her Children in the Garden series, life-size bronze sculptures of young children, has been widely hailed. Working with master printer Ricardo Ximenes of El Cerro Graphics, Ms. Sabo created Cottonwood Sunset by applying sand, pine needles and other naturally occurring materials to 30x40-inch plates of emulsion-covered acrylic, then combining these multiple images to recreate the flora shown in this colorful scene. The original collagraph is deeply embossed as it comes from the press, lending a suggestion of depth to poster prints such as the one shown here.
Merrill Quannie	Shown preparing the intricate copper etching of Mimbres Mother Turtle Song, Merrill Quannie was noted for his powerful graphic interpretations of the mythology and culture of the ancient Mimbres Pueblo people who lived in the Mimbres Valley in southwestern New Mexico between 1000 and 1200 A.D. Quannie, himself of Acoma/Hopi descent, specialized in symbolic drawings of Mimbres animals and birds, which are central to each of his drawings, as is the mythical Kokopelli, the flute player who blesses and heals the people. Intricate motifs and mazes surround these figures, the latter representing paths for both the animals and Kokopelli's music. Incorporating Pueblo art and archaeology, as well as elements of Gestalt and Jungian psychology, Quannie's style is distinctive in his placement of symbols, animals, and figures to reflect a three-dimensional reality. Merrill Quannie died in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1997 at the age of 41.
Raymond Nordwall	The spirit and culture of the Native American lives on in the work of Santa Fe artist and gallery owner Raymond Nordwall. A native Oklahoman of Pawnee, Cherokee and Chippewa heritage, Nordwall offers rare insight into the Native American way life. Each painting provides a unique view of the culture, pride and heritage that is the American Indian. Nordwall himself meticulously researches every detail of his subjects' costumes and accouterments, assuring perfect historical accuracy in the finished product. A bold, contemporary touch defines his subjects in acrylic on large canvasses marked by action, emotion and vivid color. His monotypes and graphics are graceful and flowing images of warriors, dancers, and proud leaders of the various Indian tribes. Aside from innate talent and his Indian heritage, Nordwall's work is the product of studies that began at age fourteen under renowned artist Johnny Tiger and continued at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe and subsequently under the tutelage of the legendary Frank Howell.

Betty Sabo

Cottonwood Sunset, with the orange and golden glow of sunset silhouetting a weathered cottonwood, Betty Sabo has artfully combined two of the Southwest's most enduring - and endearing - features into a single image. Ms. Sabo is one of the area's best known artists, with a national reputation in both painting and sculpting. Her Children in the Garden series, life-size bronze sculptures of young children, has been widely hailed. Working with master printer Ricardo Ximenes of El Cerro Graphics, Ms. Sabo created Cottonwood Sunset by applying sand, pine needles and other naturally occurring materials to 30x40-inch plates of emulsion-covered acrylic, then combining these multiple images to recreate the flora shown in this colorful scene. The original collagraph is deeply embossed as it comes from the press, lending a suggestion of depth to poster prints such as the one shown here.

Merrill Quannie

Shown preparing the intricate copper etching of Mimbres Mother Turtle Song, Merrill Quannie was noted for his powerful graphic interpretations of the mythology and culture of the ancient Mimbres Pueblo people who lived in the Mimbres Valley in southwestern New Mexico between 1000 and 1200 A.D. Quannie, himself of Acoma/Hopi descent, specialized in symbolic drawings of Mimbres animals and birds, which are central to each of his drawings, as is the mythical Kokopelli, the flute player who blesses and heals the people. Intricate motifs and mazes surround these figures, the latter representing paths for both the animals and Kokopelli's music. Incorporating Pueblo art and archaeology, as well as elements of Gestalt and Jungian psychology, Quannie's style is distinctive in his placement of symbols, animals, and figures to reflect a three-dimensional reality. Merrill Quannie died in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1997 at the age of 41.

Raymond Nordwall

The spirit and culture of the Native American lives on in the work of Santa Fe artist and gallery owner Raymond Nordwall. A native Oklahoman of Pawnee, Cherokee and Chippewa heritage, Nordwall offers rare insight into the Native American way life. Each painting provides a unique view of the culture, pride and heritage that is the American Indian. Nordwall himself meticulously researches every detail of his subjects' costumes and accouterments, assuring perfect historical accuracy in the finished product. A bold, contemporary touch defines his subjects in acrylic on large canvasses marked by action, emotion and vivid color. His monotypes and graphics are graceful and flowing images of warriors, dancers, and proud leaders of the various Indian tribes. Aside from innate talent and his Indian heritage, Nordwall's work is the product of studies that began at age fourteen under renowned artist Johnny Tiger and continued at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe and subsequently under the tutelage of the legendary Frank Howell.

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